


The Kids Are All Right

by feministdean



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Castiel Smokes, Domestic, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Enemies to Lovers, Happy Ending, Kid Fic, M/M, Misunderstandings, Pining, Single Parents
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-28
Updated: 2018-07-11
Packaged: 2019-04-13 21:11:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14120919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/feministdean/pseuds/feministdean
Summary: When Dean gets a call from Ben's principal to come in after a troubling incident, he is concerned that his usual great kid is having problems. It all makes sense once he realizes that Claire, a student that has been bullying Ben for months, is part of the incident as well. Dean is more than willing to work with the school principal to come up with a punishment for Claire until he sees how attractive her father is. When the school principal decides that punishment is not the solution and announces that four weeks of counseling with both families would be better, Dean isn't sure how he will survive.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, everyone! This was such a fun little project and I'm so glad I can finally share it with you all. I hope y'all enjoy!

Dean loves his son. 

Ben’s a great kid with good grades, a heart of gold, and is one of the best players on his school’s soccer team. Although his son’s reaching seventeen, Dean talks about him to almost every customer that comes into Singer’s Salvage like he’s the greatest thing in the world. While they usually give him a polite smile before they leave with their repaired car, Dean still appreciates that they listened. 

All of that considered, Dean’s confused when he’s called in by Ben’s principal one Wednesday morning to talk about a “serious matter concerning Ben” that evening at the school. Dean’s brows furrowed and told Mr. Adler that he’d be down right after he closes the shop.

Mr. Adler immediately agrees and Dean frowns even more when he hears the dial tone at the other end. He looks at his phone then puts it back on his desk to focus on the rest of the repairs for the day. 

Lawrence High School’s parking lot is near empty when he pulls in that evening. He leaves Ben at Lisa’s and decides not to tell her that Mr. Adler called until he knows the full story. Dean’s has had enough experience with Lisa’s freak outs. 

When he walks into the high school, memories fill his mind. He still vividly remembers all of the fights he had to get Sam out of in the halls. Most of Sam’s bullies work in the Mars factory in town while his brother’s a successful family lawyer in Santa Monica. It’s funny how things work out. 

Dean goes through the two secretaries, sweet-talks Mrs. Fern that has worked here since he was in school before he gets to Mr. Adler’s office. He knocks quickly on the door and opens it slowly, feeling a sense of dread fill his stomach when a wide smile spreads across Mr. Adler’s face. 

“Come in, Mr. Winchester.” Mr. Adler says. Dean gets a creepy vibe from him and although Lisa tells him multiple times that he’s fine, he can’t shake it. He nods and walks into the office, shaking Mr. Adler’s hand before sitting down in the seat in front of the dark oak desk. “I haven’t seen you in such a long time but I apologize that this meeting is because of such upsetting circumstances. We’ll begin when Mr. Novak arrives.” 

Dean’s brows furrow because the name sounds so familiar. 

A quick knock on the office door and a rushed voice pulls him out of his thoughts. “I’m sorry I’m late. Things at the office─” 

“No need to apologize Mr. Novak,” Mr. Adler smiles. Dean looks up to the owner of the voice and almost swallows his tongue. His eyes trail from the dark hair to the piercing blue eyes and scruff all the way down to the thick thighs. He takes in the scent of cinnamon and cigarette smoke when the man sits next to him. “Mr. Winchester just arrived as well.” 

Dean’s eyes flash to Zachariah’s when the guy’s blue eyes meet his.

“That’s such a relief,” Mr. Novak sighs. Dean wishes that he could be irritated that a middle-aged man is so attractive and has a voice low and rough enough to remind him of Baby’s engine and gravel. It’s all ridiculous. “I’m assuming this is about Claire? Please don’t tell me she set the rats in the chemistry lab free again.”

A light bulb goes off in Dean’s mind. “You’re Claire’s father?” 

The guy turns to him with furrowed brows. “Is that a problem?” 

“Your daughter makes my son’s life a living hell,” Dean says as irritation builds up in him. He has listened to countless stories Ben tells him through the months of his experiences with Claire from the teasing and name-calling to putting dog shit in his locker and spreading a rumor that he had chlamydia. Dean looks back at Mr. Adler. “What did she do this time?” 

Mr. Adler frowns as he looks between the two. “Claire and Ben were disrupting their statistics class this morning - name calling, teasing, and the like. They spent the rest of the class in my office but the disruption occurred again in the hallway and only stopped when Ms. Rosen found them both covered in eggs.”

Dean’s eyes widen and wonders why the hell Lisa or Ben hasn’t informed him of this. He looks at Mr. Novak again. “You need to control your daughter. This has been going on for months.” 

Mr. Novak sighs and runs a hand through his hair. “I apologize, really, she has had a hard time adjusting to the new school and Lawrence, in general, she just misses Pontiac is all.” 

“Tough shit, I had to─” 

“Mr. Winchester,” Zachariah cut in. Dean huffs and takes in Mr. Novak’s glare. He wasn’t sure if his racing heart was from his irritated adrenaline or the fact that guy looks hot as hell. “There’s no need to swear. Claire and Ben were both disciplined because they equally contributed to both disturbances and I’ve decided that I want you all to come in every Saturday afternoon for counseling for four weeks, two hours each session. The school counselor, Mr. Fitzgerald, and I have decided it’s the best for all.” 

“Mr. Adler, I apologize,” Mr. Novak says and Dean rolls his eyes. “But I can’t make it then. My firm has a big project with─” 

“And I apologize, as well, Mr. Novak, because this non-negotiable,” Zachariah says. “If you don’t comply to this then Claire will be expelled,” When Dean smirks, Mr. Adler’s eyes flash to him. “And this applies to Ben, too.” 

Dean’s lips purse as he considers the decision for a moment. “Fine with me.” 

It takes a little longer for Mr. Novak. “I guess I can make this work.” 

“Great,” Zachariah stretches the word out and stands up to shake both of their hands. “I’ll see you next Saturday afternoon at 2PM in Mr. Fitzgerald’s office.” 

Dean nods once when he shakes his hand then makes his way out of the room, keeping his eyes steady on the door. He’s still so tempted to steal a look at Mr. Novak again. 

“And you as well, Castiel.”

Dean’s knees go weak at the name. It rolls so easily off the tongue and he realizes then that he’s not sure if he’s going to make it out of these four weeks alive.


	2. Chapter 2

Ben grumbles the whole way to Lawrence High School and Dean doesn’t blame him. It’s a terrible situation all around and Lisa’s scold didn’t help matters regardless if the kid deserves it or not. Lisa kept reiterating that even though she and Dean weren’t together anymore, they’re still punishing him as a team. Ben gets the message loud and clear when Lisa takes all his electronics for the month.

While Dean listens to him complain during the drive over, his son’s voice is swiftly blocked out when he sees Castiel leaning against a gold 1978 Lincoln Continental Mark V smoking a cigarette.

“Dad, watch out!”

Dean’s attention pulls back into reality when Ben yanks the steering wheel to the right so they won’t hit a lamp post. He grabs the steering wheel, takes a deep breath, and pulls into a parking space. He turns off the ignition and notices Castiel and a blonde teenager, probably Claire, looking at them. Dean looks over to Ben when he sees Castiel’s smirk.

“Sorry about that.”

“What the hell was that?” Ben asks, brows furrowed. His eyes soften when Dean gives him a stern look. “Sorry, but really. I’ve never seen you like that with your car, like, ever.”

“Just had my mind on something is all,” Dean says. He pulls out the keys from the ignition then looks at Ben again. “Ready?”

When they make their way to the door, Castiel and Claire are still next to the Lincoln. Dean’s eyes trail down Castiel’s slacks, white button down, and loose tie. Although he still looks business casual, it’s evident that he’s more relaxed. He shifts his eyes when Claire spots him.

“Is this your old man, Ben?”

Castiel sighs. “Claire…”

Dean stops in his tracks and puts his hand on Ben’s shoulder then looks at the Novak’s, specifically Claire. He wonders if she wants to look tough with her heavy eye makeup, ripped jeans, and leather jacket. The girl’s demeanor reminds him of his own when he was in high school.

“It’s nice to meet you, Claire,” Dean says, sticking his hand out for her. He’s not surprised when she doesn’t take it and takes in her black Led Zeppelin shirt. “You got a good taste in music.”

“She blares it in her room constantly,” Castiel says, dropping his cigarette on the asphalt and stepping on it. “She─”

“I think that’s enough bonding,” Claire huffs out, pulling on Castiel’s sleeve to drag him into the school. “Let’s get this over with.”

The conversation immediately dies right along with the cigarette.

*

Garth Fitzgerald is an odd man. While Dean hasn’t spent any time with the school’s counselor during his time as a teenager or since Ben’s been enrolled, he’s sure that a sock puppet wasn’t normal to use on teenagers or parents. He frowns when Garth pulls it out and starts talking for it.

“Now, tell me what really happened.” The voice’s higher than Garth’s and Dean frowns as he watches the green sock with its yellow button eyes start again. “We have to start somewhere and I’m a trustworthy person!”

Claire’s eyes narrow. “It’s a sock.”

“Claire…”

Dean’s lips purse to keep his smirk in check as he glances at Ben. “Why don’t you tell the story, huh?”

“Uh,” Ben glances to Dean then to Garth and back to Dean again. “In statistics, we were going over problems in small groups, something we do every Monday, then Claire just starts insulting me─”

Claire interrupts him. “You’re such a nark.”

Quickly, Castiel chastises her. “Claire, behave.”

Ben continues after a moment of silence while Claire glares at him. “Anyway, she starts insulting me about everything, you know, my homework, how smart I am, just basically everything. After a while, I just started insulting her back then we were sent to the principal’s office.”

“Hm,” Dean’s lips flatten as he takes in his son’s side of the story and keeps his eyes on him. “And the eggs?”

“Claire took them out of her locker when she saw me in the hall during passing period and started throwing them at me. I just used the egg yolk on me to throw at her.”

Dean turns to Castiel as sarcasm bleeds into his voice. “Great parenting.”

Surprisingly, Castiel looks shocked at the revelation and Dean isn’t sure why because he’s heard of Claire’s bullying since her arrival. He wonders how clueless the other man is of what his daughter gets into.

Castiel’s widened eyes fall into a squint when he looks at his daughter. “Is this true?”

Claire sighs. “Sure, maybe I… teased him but he can’t get away with throwing eggs at me.”

“Um,” Ben cuts off Garth before he can even begin. “It was self-defense. You believe me, don’t you?”

Of course, Dean does. He knows his son isn’t a fighter unless it’s necessary which, until now, it wasn’t. He looks at Ben for a moment, taking in his dark and pleading eyes, then to Garth.

“I don’t understand why Claire is still bullying my son. She has been tormenting him for months with this and I am tired of having him come home to tell me another thing she has done to him. Have you disciplined her at all? I’m sure she’s bullying other kids, too,” Dean’s brows knit together in confusion when he turns to Castiel. “How the hell are you still letting her do this?”

Castiel’s jaw slacks at the words and Dean doesn’t care. Considering everything Claire has put Ben through, Dean has had enough and wants answers as to why it has still been going on and why the other man seems to have his head up his ass about it. For a fleeting moment, Dean doesn’t even care about how attractive Castiel is.

“I don’t _let_ her do anything,” Castiel starts and Dean rolls his eyes at the words. “You don’t know how I raise my daughter regardless of any preconceived notions you may have of her or myself. We’ve been working with Mr. Fitzgerald for months and have seen great progress. Besides, I would drop that attitude and smug look off your face if you came here to actually solve anything. I wonder if you raise your son with the same unfortunate values. If so, it’s no surprise why he turned out like he is.”

It’s crazy how furious Dean becomes because of Castiel’s words and he’s sure that if he didn’t know any better, he’d yell. It’s the first time since the divorce he’s almost thankful for his past marriage with Lisa. Instead of becoming more emotional, Dean takes a deep breath through his nose to gather his thoughts.

Castiel, though, seems completely at ease. Dean hates how the other man is capable of arguing with a certain calmness that creates a deeper cut from his harsh words. In any case, Dean isn’t one to back down from an argument, especially one that includes his son.

Dean purses his lips and keeps his voice low and steady. “I could say the same thing about you. But, of course, I don’t even have to wonder about what kind of values you teach your daughter. It’s blatant in the terrible way she treats others. I’m sure she learned that from you. Hopefully, however you work with Mr. Fitzgerald, it includes you, too. It’s clear you need help understanding how to be a decent person.”

When Castiel scowls and opens his mouth to reply, Garth interrupts. “Well, let's retire Mr. Sockie. It seems that there’s even more to discuss than I previously thought.”

There’s a lightness in Garth’s voice that makes it seem that this whole situation is voluntary, as if they all want to spend every Saturday for a month talking about their feelings with each other. Dean is positive that Garth has perfected it through the years of working with hormonal high school students.

While Garth goes over the school’s manual, mainly focusing on how unpleasant behavior has negative consequences, Dean focuses on how ridiculous this all is. He keeps his eyes glued on Garth, though, and tries not to think about how Castiel is sitting to his left or the aroma of cigarette and cinnamon that surrounds him.

It’s tempting to become distracted and focus on Castiel’s dark hair, rough voice, and all the other little physical features that Dean quickly became enamored with the first moment he saw the man.

Of course, it’s not time to focus on Castiel’s body and Garth easily reminds him of that.

“Mr. Winchester? Are you with us?”

The sound of Garth’s voice gets louder until he remembers where he is. Although Dean’s positive he only checks out for a minute or so, the confusion on Garth and Ben’s faces make it obvious that it was longer.

Dean clears his throat as his expression turns serious. “Yes, sir. Where were we?”

“I just asked if Ben has exhibited any mood changes in the past month or so.”

“No, not at all,” Dean says. “He’s been completely fine, notwithstanding Claire’s bullying. He’s been fine.”

Garth nods and turns to Castiel. “And what about Claire?”

“She’s been… a teenager so there are mood swings, obviously. But overall, I think she’s been great,” Castiel says then turns to Claire. “What do you think?”

Claire almost looks timid until she clears her throat. “Yeah, I’ve been fine.”

“Good,” Garth says. “Now─”

Dean rolls his eyes before he can help it. “Of course, they’re fine. She’s been bullying Ben without consequences.”

“I understand that you’re angry, Mr. Winchester, but the comments are mostly doing more harm than good in our process. I’m sure Mr. Novak and Claire understand your frustration.”

It’s silent for a moment until Garth continues the session. Dean keeps his mouth closed whenever his input isn’t needed and is glad that Ben is so mature. While he can’t stay the same about Claire as he listens to excuse after excuse for her behavior, he lets it slide and listens to Castiel’s responses.

“The move has been difficult and we’ve been trying to accumulate to Lawrence as much as possible,” Castiel said, his words slow and deliberate. “It’s a complete one-eighty from Pontiac with the different school system, my job, my neighbors and Kansas is almost entirely difficult than Illinois. But… there’s no excuse to how my daughter has been treating your son.”

Dean opens his mouth for a moment, an insult on the tip of his tongue before, before he closes it again. It takes several seconds for him to find the right words and when his mind goes blank, he just nods.

Garth turns to Dean. “What do you have to say to that, Mr. Winchester?”

Dean’s brows furrow for a moment as he wonders if Garth expects him to take Castiel’s apology while they haven’t even solved anything. It sounds hollow to him but the knowledge that his son is here enhances the desire to be a good influence.

“Well,” Dean licks his lips slowly as he thinks of something positive to say. “Thank you for realizing that your move is no excuse for your daughter to treat my son badly.” he wants to end it there but Garth’s pointed look tells him otherwise. “I’m sorry for my… harsh words and hopefully we can move forward.”

When Garth nods in satisfaction, Dean can’t help but notice the small smirk that comes and goes so quickly on Castiel’s lips that he almost wonders if he truly saw it. He knows he does and that fact creates a well of irritation with him that carries through the entire rest of the session.

Although his words aren’t blatantly harsh, there’s an air of condescension that follows them. Dean is sure Castiel picks up on it after the fifth question when his brows knit together and he frowns. From then on, it’s a constant subtle battle on who can show their most disdain while still being polite.

It ends when the session does and Dean is so happy to be finished for the day. While Garth seems content on their progress, everyone is quiet and Dean finally starts a conversation when he and Ben are alone in the hallway as they walk to their car.

“So,” Dean begins as he looks at Ben, studying his demeanor to see how he is. “How did you like it?”

Ben shrugs. “It was okay. Claire's still the worst and I don’t want to spend my Saturday here for a month because of it.”

“Yeah,” Dean says and holds the door for Ben to exit the school. He squints at the brightness of sun and follows his son to their car. “It’s only for a month. Hopefully, something will change with this.”  


Ben doesn’t seem impressed as he frowns all the way to the car, silently slipping in and waiting for Dean. The quietness follows until Dean starts the car, the engine roaring back to life as Led Zeppelin starts again.

When Ben stays quiet as Dean backs out and drive to the parking lot exit, he wants to say something to cheer him up. Maybe they could stop and get lunch or ice cream - anything. Quickly, his attention is pulled away from his ideas when another car comes from the left out of nowhere and cuts him off.

The other car gets so close and Dean is rattled until he’s sees it’s the same gold Lincoln and a tuft of dark hair in the driver’s seat. It’s Castiel, Dean is sure of it, and he can’t believe the other man had the nerve to do that.

Dean collects his bearings and looks at Ben, his son’s eyes wide. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” Ben says. “That was kind of terrifying.”

Dean nods. “Yeah. We’re fine, though. It’s fine.”

The statement is as much for Ben as it for Dean. It takes a moment for Dean to relax again, thanking his luck that Baby didn’t get hit, and he quickly realized that one thing was for certain.

He hates Castiel Novak.


End file.
